Karim Benzema in action during a match. File

Karim Benzema, star of the France and Real Madrid football teams, has backed Dubai Sports Council’s ‘Be Fit, Be Safe’ campaign and urged his friends in the UAE and around the globe to stay safe and continue helping each other through the COVID 19 crisis.

The Frenchman, who has 81 caps with the national team and has made more than 330 appearances for Real Madrid since moving to the Spanish giants from Lyon in 2009, sent his message of support via Dubai Sports Council’s social media channels.

“Salaam Alaykum, It’s Karim Benzema,” the 32-year-old said in a video message.“I have a message to all my friends in the UAE and to all the Muslims around the world during this month of Ramadan.

“This period has been difficult for everyone due to the Coronavirus. So we need to continue to help each other during this crisis. Stay safe and take care of you and your loved ones. May God bless everyone. Love.”

The ‘Be Fit, Be Safe’ campaign, which was launched by Dubai Sports Council following the precautionary restrictions imposed by authorities due to the Covid 19 pandemic, has received widespread support with top football stars like Barcelona’s Croatian ace Ivan Rakitic, Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs, former Spain international Michel Salgado, rising Portuguese star Joao Felix backing the campaign alongside greats like Luis Figo of Portugal, Brazil’s Roberto Carlos, Carles Puyol of Spain, Italy’s Gennaro Gattuso, and Frenchman Nicolas Anelka among many others.

The campaign has also received widespread support from the community with experts from the fitness industry and some of UAE’s top sports stars, taking part alongside many others, including mums and dads, and schoolkids, of different nationalities.

As part of the campaign, DSC has also linked up with some of the leading brands from UAE’s fitness industry to offer free daily virtual fitness classes, led by certified fitness trainers.

The Council has also organised a number of virtual sports events and webinars under the ‘Be Fit, Be Safe’ initiative over the past weeks, including the world’s first ‘Marathon at Home’, and a Virtual Tour Challenge for cycling enthusiasts.

With traditional sports and most of the outdoor activities at a standstill, Dubai Sports Council has been encouraging sports event organisers in the Emirate to embrace virtual sports and esports, and to come up with innovative solutions to keep members of the community engaged in physical activity at home

To facilitate organisers, the Council has launched a special segment for registering Virtual Events on their www.dubaisc.ae website.

Benzema, has been described as an “immensely talented striker” who is “strong and powerful” and “a potent finisher from inside the box”.

He made his professional debut in the 2004–05 season and appeared sporadically in his first three seasons as Lyon won three titles in that span.

In the 2007–08 season, Benzema became a starter and had a breakthrough year scoring over 30 goals as Lyon won its seventh straight league title. For his performances, he was named the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Ligue 1 Player of the Year and named to the organisation’s Team of the Year.

Benzema was also the league’s top scorer and given the Bravo Award by Italian magazine Guerin Sportivo. After another season at Lyon, in July 2009, Benzema moved to Real Madrid in a transfer fee worth over €35 million ($50 million), and signed a six-year contract.

After struggling to establish himself in his debut season with the club, in the ensuing two seasons, Benzema reached prominence, scoring 32 goals en route to helping Real Madrid win the Copa del Rey in 2011 and the 2011–12 edition of La Liga. He has been named French Player of the Year three times for his performances in 2011, 2012 and 2014.